Annual seed dormancy cycles in two desert winter annuals

1 Freshly matured seeds of Eriogonum abertianum Toff. and Eriastrum diffusum (Gray) Mason and those of both species exhumed after various periods of burial in the Chihuahuan Desert in Arizona, USA, were tested for germination in light and darkness at five thermoperiods. 2 Seeds of Eriogonum were non...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of ecology 1993, Vol.81 (3), p.551-556
Main Authors: Baskin, C.C, Chesson, P.L, Baskin, J.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
after-ripening
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Annuals
Autoecology
Autumn
Biological and medical sciences
Buried seeds
Climate
conditional dormancy
dark
Deserts
Dormancy
Ecology
Eriastrum diffusum
Eriogonum
Eriogonum abertianum
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germination
Habitats
light
Plant growth
Plants
Plants and fungi
Polemoniaceae
seed dormancy
seed germination
Seeds
Winter
xerophytes
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Summary:1 Freshly matured seeds of Eriogonum abertianum Toff. and Eriastrum diffusum (Gray) Mason and those of both species exhumed after various periods of burial in the Chihuahuan Desert in Arizona, USA, were tested for germination in light and darkness at five thermoperiods. 2 Seeds of Eriogonum were nondormant (ND) at maturity in autumn 1988, and thus 87% of them germinated in light at 15/6 and at 20/10 degrees C. Seeds entered conditional dormancy (CD) in winter; germination at 20/10 degrees C decreased to 6% in light. However, a high percentage of the seeds were again ND by autumn 1990. Thus, like seeds of, facultative winter annuals in humid, temperate regions, those of Eriogonum have an annual CD/ND cycle, which is characteristic of annuals in unpredictable habitats. 3 Seeds of Eriastrum were dormant (D) at maturity in May 1989. A portion of the seeds after-ripened during summer, and in October 65 and 38% of them germinated in light at 15/6 and 20/10 degrees C, respectively. Most of the ND seeds re-entered dormancy during winter, but by the following October 92% of them were ND. Thus, like seeds of obligate winter annuals in humid, temperate regions, those of Eriastrum exhibit an annual D/ND cycle, which is characteristic of annuals in predictable habitats. 4 This is the first report of dormancy cycles in seeds of desert winter annuals.
ISSN:0022-0477
1365-2745
DOI:10.2307/2261533